Much has been made of the humanity of Spider-Man, who, with his self-conscious teenage alter ego, Peter Parker, has always appeared more vulnerable than Superman and his comic-book brethren. It is fitting, then, that the second film in the franchise is as much about Spidey’s frailty as his superhuman powers.

The action begins with Parker (Tobey Maguire) jobless, penniless and falling behind with schoolwork due to the many burdens of superheroism. Things seem to be looking up when he is introduced to Dr Octavius (Alfred Molina), a brilliant scientist on whom Parker is writing his dissertation, but, of course, the scientist is just one failed experiment from disaster.

Octavius’s bionic limbs, invented as a far-fetched means of controlling his latest experiment, suddenly acquire a life of their own, take over his mind and embark on an apparently motiveless campaign to destroy the city. "A guy named Otto Octavius winds up with eight legs," says the gruff tabloid newspaper editor played with great relish by J K Simmons. "What are the odds?"

It’s lightweight stuff, but all very enjoyable. The dialogue is corny, the sentiment cheesy and the transition from live-action to computer-generated Spider-Man not quite seamless, but the CGI figure is nonetheless genuinely exhilarating as it swoops through the cavernous streets of New York. Watching these scenes, it is hard to understand why Parker would consider giving up that freedom, but his feelings for Mary Jane (played by a slightly lacklustre Kirsten Dunst) lead him to do just that.

BACKGROUND

• Spider-Man 3

• Spider-Man 3 - Tokyo premiere

• Shock revelation: why Spider-Man’s real name isn’t Peter Parkour

• Spider-Man 3 slams the accelerator down in pursuit of the Big Thrill

• Spider-Man climbs up to challenge Titanic

BACKGROUND

• Spider-Man 2

• Bad things come in threes

The quiet American

He's a superhero and drop-dead goodlooking, but Tobey Maguire is no troublemaker

Related Internet Links

• 2007 London Film Festival coverage

• Times Online Film Trailers

It is in this part of the film that the contemporary resonance of the Spider-Man myth is strongest. Parker’s chronic uncertainty about his obligation to use the power he has been granted coincides with liberal America’s angst about the country’s international role. When Parker is reminded once again that "with great power comes great responsibility," the speaker is his uncle Ben, not Uncle Sam, but it is clear that life as a superhero, like life as a superpower, is lonely.

However, Parker’s choice is simplified by the purely virtuous nature of his gift, which allows him to save the good guys while hurting only the bad. His dilemma is therefore ultimately personal, not moral – an adolescent choice between the girl and the role. That he makes the right decision is not surprising, but the journey he travels to reach it confirms him as the most engagingly human of the superhumans.

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